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This wasn't exactly football at the core. Guys in shorts not tackling each other would make John Facenda do a spit take in his grave. But Saturday's scrimmage in front of 7,850 on Family Day inside Paul Brown Stadium was as good of a glimpse as you are going to get at real football these days at training camps more concerned with team health than team physicality.

In the four quarters of action we saw a bit of everything, but here were my three major takeaways from the event.

1) Inconsistency on defense

No matter what the scenario, practice or playoffs, you don't want to see undrafted free agents like Conner Vernon, Jeremy Johnson and Colin Lockett tearing up the secondary. That's what happened in the second half of the scrimmage as they chopped up the Bengals second team. Who was at fault? Hard to know in a scrimmage when you can't touch the quarterback and plays go on far longer than normal.

That said, these guys were able to help the second and even third string offense move down the field fairly well. This came after the first two quarters when the first team defense allowed next to nothing.

These inconsistencies are surely a part of the conversation after watching the film this weekend for Paul Guenther, who wasn't too thrilled with what he saw Saturday. The good news for those players is a game is just a few days away to show how they look playing real football.

2) Dalton sharp

We spend more time talking about Andy Dalton's contract then how he is developing on the field, but he's done well this camp and certainly did Saturday. He went 17 of 20 for 203 yards during the first half which includes having a 53-yard bomb to A.J. Green which was right on the money called back by referees trying to make a point about offensive pass interference.

His two connections with Tyler Eifert were the highlights of the game for the offense, particularly the second, a double-move go route by Eifert that left Onterio McCalebb in the dust and Dalton hit Eifert perfectly in stride down the seam.

As with all these, apply grain of salt on a scrimmage, but this has been a strong camp as a whole for Dalton thus far.

3) Snap issue continues

I could be wrong. The games may start and rookie Russell Bodine may never serve up an unplayable snap. He may become the next Richie Braham for the Bengals. Who knows? He hasn't played a game yet. That said, there has to be reservations in the offensive room when you continue to see him struggle with unplayable snaps. Whether they come out hot, low, high or not at all, it has been three times this past week a snap issue came into play. All were Bodine's snaps.

There's no reason for major concern as of yet. See how he does in the games before anybody judges. There's a lot on his plate right now, so this could be a moot point by the end of the preseason. But the issues should be duly noted and cause serious pause if they show up in preseason games, especially with Mike Pollak and Clint Boling both healthy and Pollak capable of slipping over the center.

Thanks for the question, Tyler. The Gresham question is an interesting one. He enters the final year of his rookie contract and as of now we haven't heard anything about there being extension discussions. His physical upside continues to be off the charts and he can have games where he is a nightmare for defensive coordinators, but the penalties and fumbles are maddening for the offensive coordinator.

Likely, they offer him a deal the team views as reasonable before the free agency period and he chooses to see what he can garner on the free agent market. If the he comes back to the Bengals price, they will wait with open arms (ala Rey Maualuga two years ago). How Jermaine plays this year will play a major role in how willing the Bengals are to pay him as well. He needs to start by getting back on the field after his offseason hernia.

The Bengals put on a great event for Family Day on Saturday. There was entertainment value on the field with the scrimmage set up, even in shorts. Plus, all the activities in the concourses kept the kids happy. Have to offer a slow clap for a quality day thrown together at PBS. I think 3-year-old Olivia Hammel, of Middletown, would agree.

Olivia Hammel, 3 of Middletown poses with the Cincinnati Bengals Ben-Gals cheerleaders as part of Family Day at Paul Brown Stadium training camp.(Photo: Jeff Swinger The Cincinnati Enquirer)